Man, 33, shot dead by State Patrol on I-94 in north Minneapolis

A Minnesota state trooper shot and killed a Black motorist early Monday morning after he fled a routine traffic stop on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis, the State Patrol said..

Although authorities have not named the motorist, family members identified him as 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II of Spring Lake Park. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner also confirmed that Cobb died Monday.

The State Patrol said the shooting was captured on body camera and squad car dash-camera footage, and promised to release it soon.

Cobb is the latest Black motorist killed by law enforcement in the Twin Cities following high-profile incidents dating back several years that drew intense protest, including the shooting deaths of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights and Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center.

On Monday night, more than 100 people gathered with Cobb's family and friends to remember him with a group prayer. Danielle Pickett, the mother of Cobb's two older boys, said she thinks his race contributed to police shooting him, and that she saw him being racially profiled over the years.

"We're just leaving fatherless kids out here unnecessarily. These people are fathers; their children need them, too," said Pickett, 35, of Maple Grove. She said Cobb "loved his kids more than anything in life."

On Monday afternoon, the State Patrol issued a statement outlining its version of events that led to the fatal shooting on westbound I-94 near 42nd Avenue N. According to the statement, state troopers spotted a Ford Fusion with no taillights traveling north near Lowry Avenue just after 1:50 a.m. and pulled the driver over. During the stop, troopers learned that the motorist was "wanted by law enforcement in Ramsey County in connection with a felony-level violation." (The State Patrol did not detail what that violation was.)

"As the troopers worked to detain the driver, the driver refused to exit the vehicle," the statement continued. "Troopers were attempting to remove the driver from the vehicle when the driver drove away."

At some point, a trooper fired at the motorist, the statement said. Three troopers have since been placed on standard administrative leave. They have yet to be named. It's not immediately clear how many troopers fired their weapons — or exactly what triggered the use of deadly force.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) responded to the scene to investigate what the State Patrol originally dubbed as "use of force" incident.

Cobb was wanted for questioning in relation to an alleged violation of a standing domestic order for protection. The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office on Friday issued a 72-hour request for agencies to pick up and hold Cobb related to that felony-level violation, according to a department spokesman. The order, which grants law enforcement probable cause to detain individuals, would have expired later Monday morning.

Cobb's stepmother, Kashina Cobb, told the Star Tribune she didn't know specifics about the encounter.

"I don't want to blame the police or anything," she said. "I don't know what has transpired. I'm trying to process what happened."

Kashina Cobb confirmed that the "felony-level violation" referenced in the State Patrol statement involves an active order for protection in Ramsey County taken out by the mother of Cobb's 5- and 6-year-old children.

"We weren't on the best of terms," Kashina Cobb said, "but we loved him."

Cobb's friends and family took to social media Monday to share an outpouring of disbelief and grief. Cobb was memorialized in photos and videos dancing and posing for the camera with his friends and siblings, nattily dressed in a suit as well as at a worksite, wearing safety gear and holding a giant wrench.

"Watch over us my brother," wrote his sister, Octavia Ruffin.

Monday night's vigil concluded when mourners released balloons and chanted "Ricky Cobb, say his name."

Off to the side, a trumpeter played "Amazing Grace" as the crowd dispersed at North Mississippi Regional Park.

The State Patrol finished outfitting its department in body cameras last May and troopers are now required to activate them during most interactions with the public, including during traffic stops and crash investigations. Body cameras are supposed to record automatically if a trooper draws a Taser or handgun.

Troopers involved in Monday's stop had body and squad car cameras activated at the time of the shooting. Col. Matt Langer said his agency is "working expeditiously to release the video after providing the family an opportunity to view it."

In a brief interview, Cobb's father, Ricky Cobb, said the family is "just waiting for the report" in order to learn what happened to his son.

"He just bought the car several months ago, so I don't think the taillights were out," his father said, responding to State Patrol's rationale for the traffic stop.

Events captured on Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic cameras unfolded about 2:15 a.m. on the right shoulder of the freeway about 2 miles north of downtown Minneapolis. Though the footage is dark, it appeared troopers were conducting a traffic stop near the Dowling Avenue exit.

At one point, the stopped motorist drove away from the scene and at least two troopers are seen running back to their squads, video shows.

According to emergency dispatch audio, a trooper is heard saying "vehicle took off" and "shots fired" over dispatch audio. The trooper is given permission to pursue, according to the recording. Two minutes later, troopers called for medics, reporting three gunshot wounds to the abdomen. Cobb died at the scene.

MnDOT video showed at least two squad cars had surrounded the fleeing vehicle, a gray sedan, and had it boxed in against the center concrete median near 42nd Avenue N.

The westbound lanes of the freeway were shut down from I-394 to 49th Avenue for about seven hours as law enforcement and BCA agents investigated. Forensic analysts combed for bullet casings on the median and adjacent right of way with a police canine, a procedure lasting into the morning rush hour.

Including Cobb, at least 230 people have been killed in encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota since the year 2000.

Staff writer Jeff Hargarten contributed to this report.